Dental prosthesis



June 6, 1961 J. zEMAN DENTAL PRosTHEsIs 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 5, 1957 r w`\ .l u. r v

June 6, 1961 J. ZEMAN 2,986,816

DENTAL PROSTI-IESIS Filed Aug. 5, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 TTK United States Patent'A 2,986,816 DENTAL PRGSTHESIS Jan Zeman, Rue Marterey 50, Lausanne-Suisse,

Brussels, Belgium Filed Aug. 5, 1957, Ser. No. 676,164 c Claims priority, application Belgium Aug. 10, 1956 2 Claims. (Cl. 32-3) This invention relates to improvements in dental prosthesis, whether partial or complete prosthesis.

The invention relates notably to a valve system for prosthesis, which comprises essentially a cup to be fixed, in the prosthesis at the moment of the molding thereof, to a part of the prosthesis which will be directed towards the dental ridge, and a valve to be arranged and attached in this cup. c

According to 'anfembodiment the cup is of a depth greater than the height of the valve it does receive and is. designed t'o thus leave some free room between its bottom and the valve base, said room being provided with at least one hole which will communicate, through the prosthesis or a tooth, with the inside of the mouth. This cup might be at least slightly in the shape of a truncated cone on the outside and it will advantageously be made ofja plastic material, of the synthetic resin type.

--According to a particular embodiment, the free room between the cup bottom and the valve base is formed by means of a needle passing diametrally through the cup, near the bottom, said needle thus providing holes through the cup and, on the outside thereof, through the molded prosthesis, so that after removal of said needle, said free room underneath the valve comunicates with the mouth inside.

As to the valve itself, it does comprise essentially a cylindrical body having an inside chamber one base of which is provided with an air inlet channel and the other base of which is made up of a separate obturating element having at least one small air passage hole, a valve head, preferably of conical shape being freely arranged in the chamber so as to be able to obturate the air inlet channel and being provided with a shaft which is guided in an opening provided in the separate obturating element.

Other details and features of the invention will stand out from the description given below by way of nonlimitative example and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. l is a view in section of the cup and valve arranged in a prosthesis.

FIG. 2 is a view in section of the valve only, the valve head being in another position.

FIG. 3 is a view in section along the line Ill--III of FIG. 2.

FIGS 4 and 5 show, in plan and side views respectively, a type of core.

FIGS. 6 and 7 show, in plan and side views respectively, a second type of core.

FIG. 8 is a view in section of a part of a prosthesis, obtained when using the core of FIG. 4.

As is known, the shaping of a dental prosthesis is made by means of a counter-mold which itself is made from the mold taken on the gum.

When making the prosthesis on such a counter-mold, several cups will be imbedded in the prosthesis during the molding thereof.

Such a cup 1 is shown imbedded in a prosthesis 2 in FIGURE l, the face 3 of said prosthesis being the one that will engage the dental ridge. Said cup 1 may be, on the outside, slightly in the shape of a truncated cone and it is made of a suitable material, especially of the synthetic resin type.

Said cup 1 is provided in the base thereof with two side openings 4, the purpose of which will be described below and which will be closed during the molding of the prosthesis; there might be provided for this purpose a thin needle 5 passing by the openings '4 through the cup 1. Said openings `4 correspond moreover with channels 6 passing through the prosthesis and thus venting the cup to the mouth inside when the prosthesis is in position.

When the molding of the prosthesis is completed, a valve of the type shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is placed in the cup. Said valve is arranged over the needle 5 and is attached to the cup 1 by a cement 7, for example of resin type, which is applied in an upper part 8, in the' shape of a truncated cone, of the cup 1. So as to improve the attachment, a groove 9 may be provided in the valve body. After setting the valve in position, the needle S may thus be removed. It is to be noticed that the cup may, instead of being arranged only in the material and prosthesis is made of, be engaged at least partially in a tooth hollowed out for this purpose; in such a case, the channels 6 mentioned above, which pass through the prosthesis to end in the mouth, are formed in the tooth itself.

The valve shown comprises a cylindrical body 10 having on the inside a chamber 11 with a surface 12 in the shape of a truncated cone which forms a valve seat, on the one end of a channel 13. Said surface 12 in the shape of a truncated cone is not absolutely required and the valve seat might simply be made of the opening marginal edges, which is not in the shape of a truncated cone, of the channel 13. The chamber 11 is closed by a disc 14 which is driven in and is provided with two small peripheral openings 15 and a center guiding hole 16. In this hole may move the stem 17 of a conical valve head 18 which will thus, by moving, rest either by its conical part on the seat 12 or by its base 19 on the disc 1-4.

The rim-like edge 20 of the cylindrical body 10 is provided so as to prevent the admission of the cement 7 in the channel 13 of the cylindrical body 10 when this latter one is joined to the cup 1 by the cement 7.

As indicated above, the channels 4 of the cup and the channels 6 of the prosthesis vent the chamber 11 to the mouth inside and this through the openings 15; thereby, the suction action happening in the mouth will spread the valve head 18 from its seat 12, so that the air which is between the prosthesis and the dental ridge over which this prosthesis is arranged is sucked towards the mouth inside by passing through the channel 13, the chamber ,11, the openings 15, the channels 4 of the cup and the channels 6 of the prosthesis. Due to the vacuum thus created between this prosthesis and the dental ridge, the valve head 18 will again be applied on its seat 12. A very good adhesion of the prosthesis to the jaw is thus secured continuously by the suction action happening at all times in the mouth and which thus insures without a stop a vacuum between the prosthesis and the surface over which it is applied.

So as to improve even more the adhesion of the pros thesis to the jaw, the surface 3 of the prosthesis which engages the dental ridge will be provided with one or several grooves of adequate shape, formed during the molding by suitable cores, for example of the type shown in FIGURES 4 to 7, the core shown in FIGURES 4 and 5 being more specially suitable for upper prosthesis, while the core shown in FIGURES 6 and 7 is better suited for the lower prosthesis.

It is again during the formation of the prosthesis over a counter-mold that a core will be provided thereon so as to form the above grooves. The core shown in FIG- URES 4 and 5 is in the shape of a blade 22 with two elongated holes 23, joined together by a narrow part 24. This blade will thus be curved to be applied over the 3, counter-mold, the narrow part 24 corresponding-to the front of the mouth. At the level of the narrow part 24 there will only be a single groove in the prosthesis.

Withfrespect to thiscore 22 .or ratherwithmespectqto the.; grooves .formed `thereby in the .prosthesis,.,two,valves oi the; above-mentioned type-,or ofsometherl type, will. bearranged substantially at ltheplaces,indicatedin broken. lines lin 26, thatis thus atther ends offthevgrooveswhere both vadjacent grooves t 25 merge.,A

For a lower prosthesis usewill ,preferablybe madeof the core shown in FIGURlz'lS` and?. Itis vagain aplate.

27 with sidewise projections 28; thereby,rthe.corefand theprojectionsthereof form inthe prosthesis. acontinuous. groove with varying widthsdue tothe presenceof said` projections; these projections ,willienablelheformationof. The position; of,

a groove insuring abetter attachment. the valves with respectto thegrooveobtanediinlhe prosthesisA isv shown in .broken. .lines irLZS!` nFIGURE ,6,Y

that isagainA atbothtends oithe. groove formed,v

from the scope of this patent.

I claim:

1. A dental prosthesis comprisingacuprembedded,inv said .prosthesis onthe sideadjacent;tmtheadental ridge.. when said prosthesis, isconsidered.` aspositioned inthe.

Wearers mouth, an opening being provided in said prosthesis transversely to the gum, a rst opening being provided in said cup towards said dental ridge, a second opening being provided in said cup and communicating with said first opening; said;` second opening being in aligned relationshipywitlrfsaidfprosthesis:'opening, a valve body arrangedin-.thei-rst cup, opening,z and;avalve seat in said valve body, said'valverseat'rbeing arranged towards said dentalridge andfinrcommunicating relation ship with saidf second cupi openingso-that; when said prosthesis is in the wearers mouth; thedental ridge is in communicating relationship with the inside Aof the mouth through saidvalve seat,A said`secondcup opening,and 'said prosthesis opening.l

2. A dental prosthesis as claimed in claim l, in which said secondcup opening Yand saidprosth'ess openingaare'. arrangedso as .to determine a'straight channelpassing;

throughthe prosthesis.

References Cited in the, le of this patent f UNITED ,STATES .PATENTS 1,696,110. Dobele= Deca18;..1928fA 2,551,812r Nelson Mayf8,v 11951;I 2,659,106 Leieht'y .Nov. 17,1953; 2,752,680 Winnberg: July-'3; 1956 FOREIGN. PATENTS Y 10,994 Great vBritain Iulyl(),f.1888 415,671 GreatfBritain Aug.,30,x.1934 

